Four
by lilacadenza
Summary: The Master wasn't shot by his wife, The Doctor decided not to settle down, and Donna is there, as she should be, to keep him grounded. The Doctor tries to help the Master with the noise in his head, but is frustrated with the result.
1. Prologue

"I could help you. Please, let me help."

This was hell. And not the kind of hell that excited him. No, this…this was pure torture. All of his plans, his world domination…gone. It, _technically, _never happened even though he tasted it; he _lived _it. Now, he's being treated like a child, a sound monitor is stationed in his room that he's not allowed to leave because it's locked from the outside. And, to top it all off, the drumming in his head has not ceased. It hasn't even gotten better. He'll admit that he was hopeful that the Doctor could fix this, that this pain would end…oh how foolish he was. Not only does he have to deal with the drums, but also with the nagging of his childhood friend, as well as his new companion. He can't understand why the Doctor would choose her; she clearly had all the power in the relationship. Donna, he called her. Red hair…with a fiery personality to match. The worst part about it is that she actually cared about what he, the Master, did. No doubt any of the Doctor's other companions would have ignored him, but not her. She was almost as bad as the Doctor.

He contemplated death a few times, but the Doctor's words rang in his mind. "…you kill yourself. That's the one thing you could never do." That is true, to an extent. He wouldn't kill himself unless he had a plan for resurrection. Although, if he is being completely honest with himself, that's not the reason he hasn't actually committed the act. It's not so bad here. But those goddamn drums. Beating away, every moment of his life, sometimes hidden in the shadows of the dark recesses of his mind, only to appear again when he's thought he's rid of them for good.

Four hearts beating as the last of their kind. Four beats in a rhythm that would never, ever end.

Four times the Doctor tried to help.


	2. A Heap in the Hallway

I.

The first time was shortly after the Doctor imprisoned him on the TARDIS. He said he would settle down, stop wandering…but yet again, he says "oh, I just need to make a quick trip, and don't even think of trying to escape because the TARDIS has you on maximum lockdown" and returns with another Earth girl. Woman, actually. She was older than his previous ones, and wasn't some lovestruck girl that the Doctor usually had accompany him.

Their first meeting was…interesting, to say the least. He caught a glimpse of her red hair, but her back was turned to him. Her voice was loud and she was upset about something, probably the Doctor said.

"You just want _to_ mate?" The Master slightly chuckled at that. He wouldn't put it past the Doctor to have that as his motive, honestly. "You're just a long streak of nothing. _Alien_ nothing." He heard her continue. Damn, this one was going to be sassy. She left the TARDIS after what he assumed was a mutual agreement to travel together (why these earth girls want this, he'll never know) and he was just about to go back to his room that he found a way to escape from, he heard the Doctor's voice.

"Can you give me a hand with these, Master?"

"Why do you have…a hat box?" The Master replied, noticing the luggage in front of him.

"Just…help me." The Doctor replied, going out to get more boxes. The Master sighed, arranging the boxes that the Doctor just threw all around the console.

Donna returned and the Master sulked back into the hallway. He didn't want to meet her, preferably ever, and especially not now. He went back to his room when the drums started to hurt unbearably bad. He had learned to grin and bear it, but with this bout he couldn't take it. He lay motionless in the hallway, and could faintly hear the Doctor and his companion.

"The TARDIS is supposed to be piloted by 6 drivers, but I feel like I do quite fine by myself. Umm, there are six bedrooms to the left of the hallway and one big bedroom for the leader of the mission."

"The master bedroom." Donna interjected.

"…What?" The Doctor replied, sounding a bit confused and… defensive?

"That's what you call the big bedroom in comparison to all the smaller ones. The master…." Her voice was drowned out by the sound of drums and the Master blacked out.

He awoke to the sound and feel of breathing near his face. He opened his eyes and saw the Doctor with his eyes closed and felt the touch of his forehead against his own. He immediately jerked away, forcing the Doctor's eyes open as well. He noticed Donna was in the room as well, with a concerned look on her face.

"Are you feeling better?" She asked. He was expecting an explanation from the Doctor, but she continued. "The Doctor told me that you have this thing, this noise in your head and he's trying to fix it."

"Get out." The Master replied. "Both of you."

"Sorry, I'll just-"

"No, Donna," The Doctor interrupted. "Master, you need to tell me when it gets this bad. I'd rather not have to see you in a heap in the hallway and have to carry you back to you room. I don't mind, but you have to let me help you, Master."

He only scoffed. He wouldn't look the Doctor in the eyes.

"Well, I'm fine now, so if you could kindly leave…" The Master motioned toward the door.

"And…that's my cue. I'll leave you two-"

"Donna. Come here." The Doctor demanded. "I want you two to properly meet. You don't have to like each other, but it would make all of our lives a whole lot easier."

Donna spoke first. "I'm Donna Noble…human." She added with a slight grin on her face.  
"The Master. Time Lord." He looked at the Doctor.

"Do I really have to call him master? Can't I just call him Bob or something?" Donna whispered to the Doctor.

"Okay, first of all, I heard that, and secondly, no you cannot ever call me Bob, and lastly, both of you get the hell out." The Master replied.

"Call if you need anything, Master. Please." The Doctor pleaded.

"Whatever." The Master rolled his eyes as they walked out the door. He sighed and fell back onto the bed. This was going to be an eternal hell.


	3. The Tale of Two Time Lords

II.

They landed back on Earth, big surprise there, and he was again on lockdown while the Doctor and his "mate" went to fight crime or whatever the hell they did. Oh, and Martha Jones was back…lovely. This couldn't possibly be any worse. He stayed in his room of his own accord because he definitely could not handle travelling with the Doctor and not one, but _two _humans. They were needy and disgusting and inefficient and he could not understand what it was about them that intrigued the Doctor. However, that did not stop Martha from pestering him when she was there. Luckily, she was 'over this whole experience,' whatever _that _meant, and the Doctor went to return her to her proper home. Apparently the redhead and she had become friends… which does seem a bit unlikely given the Doctor's track record. These humans know nothing about him…all of the people before and all of the people after…they are nothing in the grand scheme of things. Almost makes him feel sorry for them. Almost.

Donna was the first to return. He could feel it. The drums…1234. 1234. Constant drumming never ending 1234.1234. He heard a voice.

"Are you alright? Do you need me to get the Doctor?"

His vision blurred and he saw that flash of red scurry out the door.

He opened his eyes again and met the Doctors big brown ones staring through him.

"Master. Can you hear me? Master?" The Doctor came into focus and the Master tried to stand on his feet, stumbling in his attempt.

"Help me get him to his room." He heard the Doctor say, and felt two sets of arms grabbing at him to make sure his body was supported. He threw them off and started to walk to his bedroom on his own. They both tried to follow him, but eventually the Doctor told Donna that "He seems fine. You can go, you don't have to worry."

He heard the Doctor's footsteps following him, offbeat with the drums in his head. He turned around to face him and said, "I'm fine. See?" He gave a little twirl. "Just leave me in peace. I'll call if I need you. Which will hopefully be never."

The Doctor never left his gaze. He pushed past him to get to the bedroom.

"Hey, what- where are you going? That's my room and I'd like some peace and quiet." He then realized how ironic that statement was.

He entered the room and saw the Doctor sitting on his bed, motioning him to sit next to him.

"Please leave. I don't want to deal with you right now and I just want to go to sleep to try to drown out these-" He didn't noticed that the Doctor had gotten up and was now kissing him full on the lips. And in that moment, he felt the drums receding, becoming more and more distant as the Doctor explored his mouth. He heard himself whimper a little, and immediately tried to pull away, not getting very far with the firm grip the Doctor had on him.

"I want to try something." He heard the Doctor whisper into his ear.

He was now being led to the bed by his sworn enemy; ever so gently the Doctor pushed him closer. He justified his submission to this to the fact that he was in a state of temporary confusion. The drums were gone and he didn't know what was going on. Yes, that was the explanation. It seemed like a better one than "you're in love with a man who has kept you prisoner and has finally made a move and you will never get another chance like this even though it's all you've ever wanted, ever since you were kids." Man, do thoughts usually consume people like this? He (cross his fingers if the Doctor miraculously does find a way to fix them) much preferred the drums.

He snapped out of his thoughts and felt the Doctor's hands on his thighs. When did he become naked? And why-

"Shhh. Stop thinking and just feel." _That _startled him a bit. He didn't hear the Doctor say those words, but he felt it.

"I hope you don't mind. I thought the telepathic field would be strong enough to get rid of the drums. And if I go through every nerve ending on your body…" The Master felt a surge of pleasure shoot through his mind. "Maybe they can be rid of for good."

He tried to shut him out, but the Doctor was too strong, and he was too vulnerable. The Doctor was determined to make this work. There was nothing he could do but take it.

Not that he was complaining.

Touch after touch, surge after surge, the drums were just a distant memory now, long forgotten, hopefully never to return. He felt close to his peak, when he noticed a tiny crack in the structure of the Doctor's mind enveloping his. He used that weak spot to get into his mind, to do to the Doctor what the Doctor was doing to him. It was sudden and unexpected, so now the Doctor became the vulnerable one.

"A door, once opened, may be stepped through in either direction." He felt the Doctor cringe at that statement.

Both of them were on the verge of climax, their pleasure centers overloading with information when they both released together. Time seemed to stop all around them, and everything in that moment, whether it be a second or year (he'll give the humans that; they designed a way to organize time into easier to understand periods), made sense.

The Doctor landed on him and rested his head on his chest. He shrugged him off a bit to put the covers on, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

_**..**__**.**__**.**_

He awoke the next morning to a draft that seemed to come into his room. He was much colder than usual, and it was then that he realized he wasn't wearing any clothes. He thought back to last night and turned his head slightly to the right to notice an empty spot next to him. In fact, there was no trace at all that any of that happened. He wondered if it was all just a dream. He went to put on some clothes when he caught himself in the mirror. A red Doctor-shaped splotch was fastly disappearing on his chest. So it wasn't just a dream.

And ever so faintly he could hear them returning. Slowly, but surely, the drums were coming back.

To be honest, he didn't know what he was expecting. So why is he feeling so disappointed right now? Did he think that the drums would finally stop and the Doctor would finally realize that humans are stupid and drop Donna off at home so _they_ could be together, like he always imagined?

He couldn't take this anymore. He was just fine with the drums before the Doctor showed up, why is he putting himself through this torture to get rid of them?

He vowed that he would get out of this imprisonment, even if he had to destroy the universe himself.


	4. Poisoned Promise

III.

A couple of weeks had passed and the Master was deep in his plans of finding a way out of this mess. He had papers strewn across the bed, that were soon blown off by the breeze that entered through the opening door.

"Hey, you alright? The Doctor sent me to check on you…he isn't feeling too well. I don't blame him. Can't imagine him without a voice."

There it is again. Louder, stronger, more prevalent than ever before. He clutched his head in an attempt to soothe his mind.

"Here, I have a…chemical…that the Doctor made, said it would help." Her voice ebbed in and out of his mind, and he noticed a bottle in her hand. Was that…poison? He violently jerked the bottle from her hands and it crashed on the floor. He then felt a sharp, stinging pain in his neck, and felt an unusual calmness blanket over him.

"Also said you might lash out. There's a mild sedative in there as well. Hope you feel better." Donna turned to walk out.

"Tell him…" Donna turned back toward him. "Tell the Doctor…"

"Oh, looks like you have something in the works." She picked up his plans on the floor.

"Better show these to the Doctor…don't want you to be escaping anytime soon." She walked out and closed the door.

The nerve of that woman! She just barges in, drugs him, and then walks off with all of that work that he _slaved_ over for what seems like an eternity. When he gets out of here, she's going first.

But he couldn't plan. He barely had enough strength to think. The drums were back, and they were draining the very essence of him. He hated to admit it, but he needed the Doctor right now.

He shouted for him, once, twice…three, four times and was relieved to hear the door finally open after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting.

He then felt shattered when he saw that familiar flash of red.

"What now? I told you, the Doctor isn't feeling alright, so-"

"_He_ isn't feeling alright? What the hell do you think I'm feeling right now? And who was the one who decided to keep me prisoner in here, promising that he would help me, telling me to call any time that I needed him, but rather sends his…_useless_…companion who, I've noticed, makes the sound even worse when she approaches?" He shouted at her and felt the drums ease a bit. The shouting always did help.

Donna moved to comfort him. "I'm…sorry, it's just…we've both had really lousy experiences these past few weeks, the Doctor and I, and-"

"Shut up." He spat. "You cannot possibly know how or understand how difficult having a Time Lord mind is, coupled with this…this never-ending noise. You're just a stupid human, worthless, ignorant, insignificant speck in this whole wide universe, you…" The sedative was beginning to take full effect. "You…"

But that wasn't the sedative he felt in his mind. He averted his gaze to the door where the Doctor was now standing. Donna's eyes followed suit.

"Donna," The Doctor held out his hand for her to take. There was something in his eyes, an expression the Master couldn't quite figure out. Donna took his hand and walked out the door, the Doctor's gaze shifting slightly until a new emotion came out in them. He couldn't decipher it. It wasn't kind in the slightest. But there seemed to be no malice in it either. Was it a blank expression? Indifference? It wasn't like the Doctor to not care. They both walked out and shut the door.

Which is why he jumped back at the sudden intrusion he felt in his mind.

"I've seen too many deaths in this lifetime, Master. You aren't going to add to the list."

He felt the warm, enveloping sense of the Doctor disappear and was left with the cold, clattering, almost maddeningly dampened drums.

He looked at the glass shards on the floor, in a puddle of purple liquid, bubbling at the edges. He picked up one of the glass pieces and pricked himself on the sharp point. A pool of blood began to form on the tip of his thumb, and he smeared it on the wall. He took the glass and began to carve new plans on the floor, and in the wall, which was met by harsh resistance from the TARDIS. She deadlocked the door, sealed all the cracks and crevices that may have been lurking about and set the surfaces of everything in the room to give a shock anytime the Master touched it. He continued to carve, and prick, and smear…shock after shock after shock…blood and sweat and tears, He was determined. And the next time either the Doctor or his good-for-nothing companion wanted to come near him, he would be ready.


	5. Returns and Rescues

IV.

"Oh, this is great!" Donna exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement. "Having all of this knowledge-" She had a moment of awareness before she spoke. "You know what Doctor? I think I can fix your friend with the drumming in his head. See, what had happened was that he had gotten this noise, a sort of signal, attached to his mind so that every time his synapses would fire, it would ignite that center and cause the sound to occur. Now, what I was thinking was if we could catch it at the exact moment that the neurons were going to burst, and reverse it back, because it isn't possible that he could have had this going on since the moment he was born-mourn-corn-forlorn-adjourn-adjust-crust-lust-dust-" She gasped. "I'm fine. Really, just a…a…"

"Oh Donna. Donna Noble, I'm so sorry."

The Doctor moved closer to her. "No. You can't. You can't fix him on your own you need me…I need you please…don't… no-"

A loud clattering sound came from the direction of the Master's room. The Doctor's eyes widened and he sprung into action, the DoctorDonna following close behind.

"MASTER!" The Doctor shouted, running through the corridor.

They arrived at the Master's room and the Doctor started sonic-ing all of the locks.

"Ugh, why won't it open? Why is it deadlocked? MASTER!" He pounded on the door.

It opened. The Doctor noticed the apparent darkness of the room. He went to turn on the light and was disgusted at the sight that he saw. Dried streaks of blood on every wall, whittled pieces of the TARDIS floor spread across the room. He stroked the door frame.

"What has he done to you?" He whispered to his ship.

He noticed the Master curled into a ball in the far right corner of the room. Shaking, his head in his hands, muttering…

"Master?" The Doctor cautiously approached him.

"Oh, Doctor. It's been so long since we last saw each other." The Master whispered, barely audible to both the Doctor and Donna. "C'mere…" He held his right arm out, beckoning the Doctor toward him. "Come on…I won't bite…unless you want me to." He added, voice dropping at least an octave.

"Doctor…" Donna said, with a concerned tone.

"Master, Donna said she…_we_…can fix you. The drums…"The Doctor moved closer to him, reaching his arms out in the same style. They were mere inches from each other when he heard Donna scream out: "Doctor, watch out!"

The Master grabbed on to the Doctor and forced a cocktail of various liquids down his throat.

"TOO LATE." The Doctor was choking on the concoction and Donna went to his side.

"Oh, and tell your precious TARDIS that she was very helpful in getting me the supplies, though, only after I beat her into it."

Donna was processing the smell of the cocktail in her mind, analyzing each of the contents to figure out a way to reverse it. She dashed out of the room once all of the connections were made.

"Ooh. She doesn't want to see her precious Doctor die? I don't blame her. Shame though, it would have made her death a lot less painful. Oh, and, just in case you think about regenerating," He pulled out his laser screwdriver. "This…will fix that. You will die, once and for all…Doctor…and I will rule the universe…all that is and all that ever was…the last Time Lord in existence." He sighed. "Isn't it good?"

The Doctor's breathing became more ragged, strangled over the Master's maniacal laugh. Donna stood at the door with the antidote. She knew if she came bursting back in the Master would surely kill her dead. She peeked in the door and noticed his back to her. The Doctor gave her a knowing look, and she knew what she had to do.

She entered both the room and the Master's mind. He was startled at the impact.

"What-How are you doing this…but…that's not you, I feel... plans and weekends and holidays and-"

Donna leapt at the Master's moment of confusion to toss the Doctor the bottle. She pushed her mind full force into his, and he dropped his screwdriver to the floor.

The Doctor recovered and joined Donna in infiltrating his mind. The Master was completely defenseless.

"Now, on the count of three, grab whatever trace of the sound you can find with your mind and vanquish it." Donna explained. "One…two…THREE!" All three of their minds fired at once, confusion as to which neurons went where…and the Doctor and Donna took that vulnerability and destroyed all of the traces of the drums. Once things quieted down, they both eased theirselves out of his mind and slumped on the floor next to him.

Donna was clearly trying to fight through the pain, and the Doctor knew that he would still lose her.  
"He's gonna be out for a while." Her breathing slowed; it was a struggle to talk. "and there are still imprints left…on all of our minds…but they'll only come out with intense bouts of what just happened then, and even so it'll only be temporarily." She tried to breathe normally but it wasn't working. The Doctor moved closer to her. "So just be careful the next time you two have those intense 'talks.'" The Doctor looked at her in confusion. "I've got your mind, remember?" He blushed, but it couldn't distract him from what he had to inevitably do.

"Donna…it's time. I'm sorry. But we had the best of times." He took her head in his hands and wiped her memory clean; it was the only way to prevent her from dying. He held her in his arms for a moment before laying her gently back down. He took the Master and carried him to his bed, putting the covers over him. He walked back to Donna and scooped her up, carrying her to the console room, setting the destination for Chiswick.

_**….**_

The Master awoke to a certain emptiness, a warmness…something he hasn't felt in a long, long time. He looked around the room and took in his surroundings…where was he? It looked like some sort of torture chamber with blood and splintering of the wood and what does that say…plans to murder the Doctor? He was shocked to hear the sound of a voice next to him.

"How are you feeling?" The Doctor reached out to stroke his hair, looking at him with forlorn eyes, dried tears on his face. Although…his suit and hair were wet as well, so that might have just been rain.

He realized that he didn't answer the Doctor's question when he kept staring at him, so he muttered a "fine, good" and tried to sit up. He felt a bit lightheaded and realized…the drums were gone. Completely, he couldn't even feel them in a distant place. "What-" He started.

"Donna. She figured out a way to fix you and she did." The Doctor finished, continuing to stroke his hair.

At that moment, the Master didn't want to say anything or do anything but relax into the Doctor's touch, but something was nagging at him to say something…to do something about this somber man in front of him in what was supposed to be a joyous occasion.

"Where is she, Donna? I want to thank her." He muddled out, still weary from the day's events.

"She's gone home. I took her back." The Doctor turned his face so the Master wouldn't be able to see his silent tears.

"Mm."

"Well, I'll let you rest. Just come out whenever you feel up to it. I've removed the security measures, but the TARDIS might have some ideas of her own. I can't quite fix that."

"Oh, I'm ready right now." The Master sprung to his feet. "Can I pick our first destination?"

The Doctor looked at him warily.

"You can check my mind…no bad intentions; I'm not set out to harm anyone or anything…"

"Well, I guess letting you pick a destination wouldn't hurt anything." The Doctor replied.

"Great!" He bounded off to the control room and started flipping switches and pressing buttons like a child in a toy store.

"Might I ask you where we are going?" The Doctor followed his movements.

"Oh, let's say…London, England, Earth?" The Doctor looked at him wide-eyed and the TARDIS shook as it took off.

_**….**_

"Well, that wasn't so bad…I think she's warming up to me, it only took 4 tries to get here." The Master said, walking out of the TARDIS doors onto the streets of London. The Doctor followed.

"Oh, I'll only be a couple of minutes; you don't have to follow me."  
"Master, I can't just leave you alone. What's more, what are people going to think when they see the former prime minister walking around town? I'm coming with you."

"You're going to have to catch me first!" The Master went sprinting off, the Doctor following close behind. He always was just slightly faster than him, even when they were kids. The Doctor was slowly losing ground on him, and he took the advantage to turn the corner and hide in a cramped alleyway. Once the Doctor passed him, he turned the opposite direction, to make a visit to one Ms. Donna Noble.

_**….**_

He was thankful that she was out in the street, saving him the trouble of having to deal with her mother and grandfather, and there were little people outside, so that lessened his chances of anyone noticing him. "Donna!" He called out to her.

"Yes, that's me. Who are y-" She stopped midsentence. "Sorry, I just- it's my head, I've just got a massive migraine all of a sudden.

The Master stepped closer to her and put his hands on her temples.

"Luckily for you, I'm a licensed migraine specialist. Now just close your eyes…" He latched his forehead onto hers and cleared out whatever trace of Time Lord mind she had in her. He felt her slump in his arms and groaned. "Come on, I fixed you, and I can't exactly just stand here like this all day!" He pleaded to a seemingly lifeless body.

She finally stirred and he gave a sigh of relief. "Finally."

"Wha-" She tried to take in her surroundings. "Who- wait…" A flash of realization dawned on her face. "DOCTOR!" She screamed. Blimey she was loud.

"Shh. It's fine." He tried to cover her mouth but she bit him. "Ow, what was that for?"

She put a death grip onto his wrist and pulled him along as she angrily walked off to find the Doctor.  
However, she didn't know that the Doctor went to her house, hiding in the shadows, after he lost track of the Master. When the Doctor heard her scream, he ran up to catch them.

"Master… Donna… what-"

"He escaped, but I caught him. Who knows what he could have done if he got loose. It's a good thing I'm travelling with you, Doctor…saved the world, I did."

"Oh Donna." The Doctor flashed his famous grin and embraced her. "But, how…" He turned his attention toward the Master, still in Donna's death grip.

"Um, can she let go first?" He looked toward his arm.

"Donna, it's fine. Let him go."

"But-" She protested, and rolled her eyes when she saw the Doctor was persistent. "Fine."

"Thank you." He said sarcastically. "Anyway, when you said Donna fixed my mind, I knew she probably couldn't have done that with her tiny human brain alone-"

"Hey!" They both ignored her.

"So I put all the pieces together, your hand, and her ability to fix me, your sadness…"

"What?" They continued to ignore her.

"If you had tried to get rid of the Time Lord part of her mind, it wouldn't have worked because they're identical; they would just repel each other, like magnets. But me-"

"You're the opposite of me. Both minds were attracted to each other." The Doctor replied.

"What the hell are you two on about?" Donna gesticulated widely so that the two would notice her.

"It's a long story, Donna. Let's get back to the TARDIS before someone sees us." The Doctor said.

"Wait." Donna replied. "I have to tell granddad. I don't even remember how I got here. Why did you bring me home?" The Doctor was at a loss for words. "Well, doesn't matter anyway. I'll only be a tick." She ran off back to her home.

"Ehh, I better go explain things." The Doctor went after her. The Master was turning away when he was grabbed from behind and pulled into a kiss.

"Thank you, Master." The Doctor scurried back to follow his ginger companion.

He sighed. Timeless and eternal and forever; this was only the beginning.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys, first of all, thank you so, so much for reading. And reviewing and story alert-ing...seeing such positive response makes me want to keep writing, so thank you for that.

Secondly, I was going to write an epilogue, but I actually don't know what or how to continue on with it, seeing as my original idea was sorta weaved in to this chapter. I don't know, I really don't have anything in mind, so I think, for now, this story is complete.

Thank you again my lovely readers. Until next time, :)


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